The Knitwear Care Guide: Cashmere, Wool, Alpaca & Mohair

If you've invested in a beautiful knit, it deserves a little looking after. Cashmere, wool, alpaca and mohair are all natural fibres — which means they're breathable, hard-wearing and genuinely built to last, but they do like to be treated a bit differently to the rest of your wardrobe. Here's everything you need to know to keep your knitwear soft, in shape, and in rotation for years.

Cashmere

Cashmere is an investment piece, and how you care for it makes all the difference to how it wears over time.

Don't over-wash it. Cashmere doesn't need washing after every wear — in fact, it prefers not to be. Aim for a wash after every 3-4 wears to keep it soft without wearing it out.
Hand wash or delicate cycle. Cold water, a mild detergent made for cashmere or wool, and if you're using the machine, pop it in a mesh bag on the gentlest cycle.
Lay it flat to dry. Never hang a wet cashmere knit — the weight of the water will pull it out of shape. Reshape it gently while damp, lay it flat away from direct sun or heat, and let it dry naturally.
Pilling is normal, not a flaw. Those little fuzz balls you sometimes see under the arms or where a bag strap sits are just friction doing its thing — it happens to genuine cashmere, especially in looser knits. It's not a sign of poor quality.

To minimise pilling: turn your knit inside out before washing, skip the fabric softener, and be mindful of rough surfaces — car seats, desks, bag straps — rubbing against it through the day.

To remove it: a cashmere comb is your best friend, used lightly and only where needed. Picking pills off by hand works too, once the garment is dry. There are also small handheld lint removers you can buy online from places like Spotlight. If it's gotten away on you, most dry cleaners offer a depilling service.

Wool

Wool is naturally resistant to odour and dirt, which means it needs far less washing than you'd think.

Spot clean first. Before you reach for a full wash, try spot cleaning a mark — wool is remarkably self-cleaning between wears.
Wash sparingly, and gently. Hand wash, or use your machine's delicate cycle in a mesh bag, in cool water with a wool-specific detergent, or dry clean if that's what the label calls for.
No heat, ever. Tumble drying is the fastest way to shrink and felt a wool knit. Press out excess water with a towel and dry flat in a well-ventilated spot.
Fold, don't hang. Hanging wool stretches it out over time — fold it instead, and store with cedar blocks or a lavender sachet to keep moths away.

Alpaca

Alpaca is one of the warmest natural fibres you can own — lighter than wool for the same warmth, and naturally hypoallergenic since it contains no lanolin. It's a little more resilient than cashmere, but the same gentle rules apply.

Hand wash in cold water with a mild detergent, or use the delicate cycle in a mesh bag.
Dry flat, always. Alpaca has a bit of natural weight to it, so drying flat prevents any stretching in the shoulders or hem.
Brush, don't comb. A soft-bristled clothes brush used in the direction of the knit will lift any surface fuzz without disturbing the fibre.
Store folded with good airflow to keep it lofty and prevent flattening.

Mohair

Mohair is the fluffiest of the family, and it's meant to be — that halo effect is the fibre doing exactly what it should. A couple of things to know:

It sheds a little at first. This is completely normal for mohair and settles down after the first few wears and washes — it's not a fault, just the nature of the yarn.
Freezing: Some people advocate putting the mohair item in a plastic bag and freezing it for a few hours before wearing it. This may help establish the fibers and prevent shedding.
Always follow the care label. Mohair blends vary more than any other fibre here, so the label on your specific piece is the most reliable guide.
It gets better with age. Genuinely — mohair softens and develops character the more you wear and wash it, so don't be precious about that first wash.

The Golden Rules

Across all your natural fibre knits, a few things hold true no matter what:

Cold water, always.
Lay flat to dry — never hang a wet knit.
Fold for storage, don't hang long-term.
Check the care label before you do anything else — it's specific to that garment for a reason.

Look after your knitwear and it'll look after you — season after season, wear after wear. And if you're ever unsure how to treat a piece from Coko, come in and ask us. We'd rather you get years out of it than guess.